1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to remote mechanical graspers, and more particularly to remote mechanical graspers for handling suspect or explosive devices. The invention provides a portable remote mechanical grasper that permits safe handling of a suspect or explosive device and that is collapsible for easy transport and storage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bomb disposal is an extremely difficult and dangerous profession. Bomb technicians are constantly exposed to explosive devices of varying power and sophistication. Explosive devices that bomb technicians routinely address include traditional explosives as well as chemical or biological devices. Because of the clear and inherent danger in bomb disposal, various forms of protection and methods of handling explosive devices have been implemented to increase the survival rate of a bomb technician in the event of device detonation. In particular, remotely controlled vehicles have been developed to handle and transport an explosive device to a location where the device may be safely disarmed or detonated. Alternatively, an explosive device can sometimes be transferred to a containment apparatus, where it may be safely detonated or rendered inoperable. In this way, bomb technician safety is maximized by removing the bomb technician from the device blast radius.
Many explosive devices are located where it is difficult or impossible for remotely controlled vehicles to enter or navigate. Sometimes it is necessary to deal with an explosive device when no remotely controlled vehicle is available, or before a vehicle can arrive. In such cases, a bomb technician may be required to personally handle and transport an explosive device. The bomb technician will typically wear a protective bomb disposal suit to protect the bomb technician in the event of device detonation. The suits are often flame and fragmentation resistant, and may include internal communications, sound amplification, or internal cooling. While these suits offer a bomb technician some degree of protection, they tend to be heavy and bulky, and severely limit the mobility of the bomb technician.
Explosive devices may also be located where it is difficult for a bomb technician to reach, or where the bomb technician is required to navigate through a limited space access point. For example, explosive devices may be placed at a height either below or above the ordinary reach of the bomb technician, requiring the technician to either climb down or up to the level of the device. This can drastically increase the risk to the bomb technician in the event of device detonation. In addition, movement may be hampered by the weight and bulk of the protective bomb disposal suit, preventing the bomb technician entry to tight spaces. Often the bomb technician will be required to move through a limited space access point, such as an elevator, stairwell, or ladder, which may prevent the transport of certain protective gear to the explosive device.
Explosive devices can be improvised or constructed out of common materials. These devices are known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and are often disguised as some other object. As a result, bomb technicians are routinely required to address suspect devices which may or may not be explosive devices. For instance, IEDs are a common threat to military vehicles and personnel; such devices are easily placed along a roadway and camouflaged to look like refuse or other innocuous item. Sometimes bomb technicians are required to handle suspect devices that turn out to be non-explosive. Similarly, innocuous or non-threatening items may turn out to be explosive devices. Because remotely controlled vehicles may not be available when a bomb technician is required to assess a suspect device, or may only be available after the suspect device is identified as an explosive device, the bomb technician must often personally handle and transport the device. Personnel at the scene of a suspect device may not have access to protective bomb disposal suits, as in the context of a routine military patrol. Police and emergency response personnel who arrive during or after a terrorist attack may not have the capability or time to transport protective gear and equipment to the scene. In such cases, responders may be required to personally handle and transport a terrorist device to quickly secure an area.
Mechanical graspers have been previously used to aid individuals in grasping objects that are otherwise outside their reach. Such graspers have been used, for instance, to aid immobilized individuals or individuals confined to wheel chairs to access counters, cabinets, or objects on the floor. Graspers have also been used to aid individuals in placing and removing decorations without the need for a ladder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,590 to Forrest et al. discloses a telescoping grabber pole to hang and retrieve ornamentation or other items; however, the telescoping grabber pole requires the operator to manipulate the grabber by pulling and tying off a cord. This makes use of the telescoping grabber pole cumbersome, as the operator must hold on to the fully extended pole of 24 feet with one hand while the other hand manipulates the cord. The user must then tie off the cord once the grabber has been actuated in order to use both hands again to manipulate the extended pole. Operation of a telescoping grabber pole like the Forrest apparatus would be prohibitively difficult and dangerous for a bomb technician in a protective bomb disposal suit. Explosive devices are often fragile devices which must be handled with the utmost care and precision to prevent premature detonation. Traditional mechanical graspers are unsuitable for bomb disposal for a variety of other reasons. For example, most explosive devices are extremely susceptible to static discharge. Traditional mechanical graspers, such as the Forrest et al. telescoping grabber pole, do not have protection against static charge buildup or static discharge and thus are not suitable for use in handling explosive devices.
Studies have shown that each foot of distance between a bomb technician and a device explosion substantially increases the survival rate of the technician. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus that permits a bomb technician to remotely handle and transport a suspect or explosive device, and that increases the survival rate of the bomb technician in the event of a device detonation by allowing the bomb technician to address the device from a distance. It would be further desirable to provide an apparatus that is easily operated by a bomb technician wearing a protective bomb disposal suit, and which permits the bomb technician to handle and transport a suspect or explosive device that is in a difficult position to access or reach. It would also be desirable to provide an apparatus that is insulated from static charge build-up or static discharge, and which may be precisely manipulated to prevent inadvertent detonation of a fragile explosive device. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus that is easy to store and to deploy, and which can be quickly transported to an IED or suspect device for immediate response, or where a remotely controlled vehicle or containment apparatus may not be available.